The Eagle and Child

IndieGirl

TNPer
TNP Nation
IndieGirl
"The scholar has lived in many times and is therefore to some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press of his own age."
- C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, pg. 29


I don't want it to seem like I'm just posting this willy-nilly. I happen to have quite a bit of time on my hands presently that I would like to devote toward some literary studies, such as a reading/writing group or, well, a literary club of sorts, and figured this would be a good place to start. Since it seems we've got a place for it, but haven't had it take off.

Honestly, I really would like to see this section of the forum and the idea behind it come to fruition. I have tried this sort of thing before on other forums (not NS related) without much success. However, I think you guys are exactly the group that could pull this off. I trust nearly all of you to be able to offer intelligent, lively, thoughtful discussion about any number of topics, and I think we could all really benefit with an even closer sense of community if we take the opportunity here to spend some time with friends in discourse about things non-NationStates related. (Well, not directly related, anyway.)

I'd love to have a bit of a book group, and I think I'm not the only person around here this idea appeals to.

Now, for starters, I've noticed that we've got so many people who'll toss out an idea, have others encourage it, and then we faceplant before it gets into the application of the idea.

SO. I am grabbing the proverbial bull by the horns here. I am starting a book club in this thread, even if I am the only member.

That being said, at the beginning of each month (sometime during the first week or so, hopefully), the group (which will need a name at some point) shall select the month's reading/study material via drawing (out of a real, live hat) from a list of submissions/suggestions provided by each member. No book genre/title/topic/author is off-limits, as one can glean meaningful discussion from even the weakest of material.

Reading of the materials should then commence and, ideally, be completed sometime during the course of the second and third weeks leaving us with at least an entire fourth week as time for discussion before the next book/subject is chosen.

Now, sometime this week, anyone who wants to join me in this project, please register (post) here in this thread explaining your interest, and PM me a list of titles/subjects that you'd be interested in studying and discussing. Please submit no more than three titles/subjects per month.

Meanwhile, we also need a name, and some other ideas for coordination - perhaps a schedule of times we can meet up via IRC, or AIM, or even Skype, for chat discussions.

Group names and other ideas relative to this group should definitely be posted here - let's make this a collaborative effort so we can meet the expectations of each member and include everyone.

Also, I would just like to express my concern that while members are welcome and encouraged to confront and critique ideas and opinions, criticism and confrontations of each other will be vehemently frowned upon and persons choosing to slander or belittle shall be immediately uninvited from their participation with the group.
 
Hmm. Might be a good idea to have the selections public domain stuff alá project gutenberg. Otherwise the chat might be a bit short.

"Couldn't get hold of it, but what did you think?"
 
Apropos of nothing: The Eagle and Child was my Local Pub when I was doing my masters. At Oxford we tend to call it "the Bird and Baby" or "the Fowl and Foetus"

I would happily join a book group.
 
Lewis and Tolkien were members of the social group "The Inklings" penclub - I think it would be great to start up something similar (well, not writing per se)...

I think a mix of Gutenburg and widely popular books (accessible in library) would be a good way to go.
 
one of the things about the inklings was that they did not just discuss other people's writings, but their own also.

Just a thought.
 
Oh, I know plenty about the Inklings. They've been a favorite subject of mine for many years. :) Also, Flem, I didn't know you went to Oxford! I'm all sorts of jealous.

I'd love to extend the group to include writing/discussing each others' writings, but I really want to see if we can get the book group aspect of it off the ground first. I'm thrilled to see you all willing to be involved!

Taking our selections from titles available through Project Gutenberg is a good idea, as is making sure we pick titles that are also going to be available through local libraries.

For those of you unsure about which titles are available in the Project Gutenberg catalog, there's a link to an extensive catalog list here.

If you could send me your three book suggestions sometime in the next couple days, we'll get this party started!
 
Is it all right if I join in? I am very much a bibliophile, and I've been so ever since I was 10 or so, when my godparents subscribed me to a monthly classical books collection. I think I've got about a hundred fiction books in my room, along with dozens of non-fiction books and 9 library books.
I also Stumbled upon Project Gutenburg a few weeks ago, and promptly downloaded a load of ebooks for my fakepod.
 
Okay, fellas. Book submissions are in, and the lucky book drawn was (and this is, I suppose, fitting to some degree):

The Art of War

Gutenberg link here, or feel free to pick whatever version/translation you prefer, and prepare to discuss.
 
Will we be having seperate threads for each book/topic?

I can barely tie my shoelaces and talk at the same time, multiple discussions in the same thread would be more than my brain could handle.
 
Eh? We voted? But Art of War is so dull! I wanted "Now we are 6" by A A Milne.

Oh Well, I will read it for the group's sake.
 
Oh...I have to disagree Flem. Excellent choice!!

I'm stuck right into battlefield strat - Sun Tzu's advice can actually often be applied to politics too...

Somewhere in my bookshelf is a nice red, silky (and damn expensive, I might add) copy of this...I'll have to dig it out again! :D
 
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